Cookbook Sunday -- Jan. 23 and 30, 2011

These last two weeks have turned out to be off-weeks for Cookbook Sunday.  Last weekend, I was sick so didn't cook anything beyond some toast.  This weekend, I again didn't cook, but for a much better reason.  My husband cooked a turkey dinner for us, so the oven was occupied most of the day.  So, join us next week when hopefully Cookbook Sunday return ... unless of course my husband cooks again!

(#2) "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis (2000)

Joseph J. Ellis is a fairly prolific writer of Revolutionary era biographies.  He has written about John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and the relationship between John and Abigail Adams.  "Founding Brothers" discusses six different stories from the era:

1.  The Alexander Hamilton/Aaron Burr duel.
2.  The agreement between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison (aided by Thomas Jefferson) whereby Hamilton got support for his plan to have the federal government assume the states' war debts, and Madison got support for the new capital being located on the Potomac.
3.  The effect of failure of the founding fathers to put an end to the slave trade.
4.  Washington's farewell address after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.
5.  The relationship between Adams and Jefferson before that relationship deteriorated as a result of the contentious elections of 1796 and 1800.
6.  The marriage of John and Abigail Adams, and the renewal of the friendship between Adams and Jefferson in their old age.
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At 248 pages, and covering six topics, it isn't surprising that Ellis just hits the surface of each these issues.  Indeed, Ellis took his research from the last topic and turned it into an entire book about John and Abigail Adams' marriage ("First Family," which, incidentally, will be the topic of my next book review).  As such, it's a good introduction to many of the most important players in the founding of our country.  From here, the reader can seek out more detailed biographies, many of which, as noted, Ellis has written.  Therefore, I think this book is best suited for someone who hasn't read a lot about this period.

There was one thing about Ellis's style that bothered me somewhat, and that's his excessive use (in my opinion) of the semi-colon.  At times, it made sentences stretch out too long, and I'd forget at the end of a sentence what was at the beginning.  I think his writing could have been much more succinct, which would have made the book easier to read.

Also a minor quibble, is that there were no pictures in the book.  Yes, I know this isn't a children's book; but biographies almost always have a few pictures in the middle of the book. For a reader who is new to this period of history, some pictures might make the characters come alive.  I know that I like seeing what the people I'm reading about looked like, particularly if it's someone with whom I'm less familiar. 

All in all, I think I probably was not in the target audience for this book, as I've read extensively about much of these stories.  Therefore, for me, it wasn't in-depth enough to really keep my interest.  I would recommend the book, however, for someone who is interested in reading about this era for the first time.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Cookbook Sunday!

It's time for the first edition of Cookbook Sunday, where I detail my Sunday dinners made from my cookbooks.  To review, I make one dessert and one thing that isn't a dessert, and they each come from a different cookbook.  I try to ensure my meals have the following components:  a main dish, a starch (rice, potatoes, pasta), a bread, and a fruit or vegetable.  Here is what was on this week's menu.

My non-dessert cookbook item was mini honey-mustard meatloaves, from the March 2008 issue of the "Everyday Food" magazine (pg. 68).  I served it with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, buttermilk biscuits and mandarin orange slices, along with a glass of Riesling.  Overall, the meatloaf was just OK.  It was cheesy, which I liked, but didn't have much flavor beyond that.  My usual meatloaf has sage and some other spices in it, which I like a lot, so if I made this again, I would maybe add that.

My dessert was oatmeal drop cookies, from the cookbook "Best Recipes From the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars" (1982, pg. 567).  These cookies used wheat flour and brown sugar instead of the usual white flour and white sugar.  Therefore, the cookies had a much heartier feel than the usual oatmeal cookie.  I like them, but would add more raisins if I made them again.


Overall, this was a fairly successful meal.  I have one more mini-meatloaf to eat tomorrow, and a couple dozen cookies to eat over the rest of the week.

Next week's menu includes a pork tenderloin and chocolate cake.  I'm looking forward to it already!  Hopefully while I'm eating it I'll be celebrating the Packers' win over the Bears in the NFC Championship game!

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

For quite some time now, I've had a Sunday ritual.  Each week, I take two of my many cookbooks off the shelf and make something new.  One thing is always a dessert and the other can be anything from breakfast to appetizers to a main course -- really anything other than dessert.  It serves a couple of purposes:  one is to actually USE the cookbooks I accumulate and the other is to simply try something new.  As you can imagine if you read my earlier post about choosing books to read, there is a method to choosing what to make each week.  I'll spare you the details, but it's not dissimilar from the other process.

Anyway, I've been looking for some new things to blog about in the book world so that I'm not going so long between posts.  So I thought it would be appropriate to add a segment documenting what I make each week, for better or for worse.  Think "Julie and Julia" (a movie I definitely recommend, by the way) on a much smaller scale.  So, starting this coming Sunday, look here for the results of each week's cooking extravaganza.  Here's a teaser:  the menu will feature mini meatloaves and cookies.

New books!

I purchased several new books today, so I thought I'd share them with you.

First, I got a gift card to Barnes & Noble from my brother for Christmas.  With it, I purchased two cookbooks, both from PBS's "America's Test Kitchen" program, one of my favorite cooking shows.  It's on my local PBS station on Saturday afternoons, and my DVR records it for me so I never miss it.  One book is on cooking and one on baking.  I was only going to get one, but they were half off so I figured that meant I should get both!

Then, while at the mall, I noticed that Waldenbooks had a going out of business sale and everything was 40% off.  They were also selling all their fixtures, so it was tempting to buy some of their shelves.  However, they really aren't the type of shelf you put in your living room, so I guess it wouldn't have been the best purchase.  Anyway, I purchased three books.  One is about the case Marbury v. Madison, specifically focusing on the roles John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice Marshall played in that seminal case.  Anyone who knows me at all knows that I have to own any book that involves John Adams!. 

The other two books are a bit of a contradiction.  One is the recent book publishing Jimmy Carter's diaries from when he was in office.  The other is a similar book of Ronald Reagan's diaries.  I am very interested in presidential history, regardless of the politics involved, so I thought these books really went well together.  Plus, my husband is a big Reagan fan, so in reality the book is for him.

As usual, I'm accumulating books much faster than I can read them.  Now to go make space on my increasingly full book shelves...

(#1) "Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910" by Jeffrey H. Jackson (2010)

I am a big fan of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower in particular.  I thought it was magical the first time I saw it, and have been in love ever since.  I, however, did not marry it like some woman did a couple years ago.  Really.  Look it up.  Anyway, I've been to Paris three times -- in 1994, 1995 and 1997.  It's practically criminal that I haven't been there in so long!  But it really seems like only yesterday.

Knowing of my love for Paris, my husband got me this book for Christmas.  Actually, he probably got it less because I'm a fan and more because of the city's potential destruction by the flood.  You see, he's not a big fan.  But he's never been there so what does he know?  That's right, nothing.

For all my fandom of Paris, however, I had never heard of this flood, which occurred in January 1910.  It appears that Jackson first learned of it during a sewer tour in Paris.  Yes, you can take a tour of the sewer.  I was aware of that tour the times I was there, but never went on it.  It is now at the top of my list of things to do the next time I'm there (second to going to the Eiffel Tower, of course).

Me at the Eiffel Tower -- 1995

I really enjoyed this book.  Having been to Paris I knew many of the landmarks and places mentioned in the book.  There was a lot of interesting information presented.  For instance, the Parisians measured the flood by how high the waters came up on a statue (the Zouave) located on one of the bridges over the Seine.  The statue still exists today, although other statues that were on the bridge were removed when the bridge was subsequently rebuilt.  But the Zouave was put back in its place due to its significance with this flood.  It's another thing I'll have to look for on my next trip to Paris.

It was interesting that the flooding was only caused in part by the Seine overflowing its banks, which of course was significant.  But it was also caused by the water seeping up from underground as it rushed into the then-modern and ingenious sewer system (hence the sewer tours) and the newly constructed metro lines.  That portion of the flooding maybe caused more destruction from the sewer waste going into basements of buildings.

Another interesting thing was how the people reacted to the flooding.  As much as possible, life went on as normal during the flood.  People moved around the flooded areas using "passerelles" which were pathways built above the water by placing boards over ladders and saw horses and the like.  Also, people flocked to the river to watch the spectacle of people's belongings rushing down the river.  But citizens also really came to each others' aid by donating money, necessities and lodging to the victims.  It really pulled the people of Paris together, which may have helped them when they had to pull together again a few years later during World War I.

The only thing I would have changed in this book would be to add more pictures.  The one or two pictures added at the beginning of each chapter really enhanced the text.  In fact, the text often referred to them.  But the book didn't have, like most books do, a center section or two with pictures.  I would have liked that.  At any rate, I would highly recommend this book to any Francophile.

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5.

New Year -- New Books!

I'm not one for New Years resolutions.  I know they're just going to get broken, so I don't bother.  But, I do want to set a goal of reading more this year and keeping up better with this blog.  To that end, I will be numbering my book reviews for the year to see how many books I can read in 2011.  Ideally, I'd like to read on average a book a week.  We'll see.  But stay tuned.  My first review for the year will be coming shortly.  Enjoy!